Of Love and Dogs
by Tori.Lars
Summary: Harry asks Remus a simple question and wants a simple answer: Was Sirius gay? Sirius/Remus/Tonks.
1. Chapter 1

Remus Lupin looked up and smiled when Harry sat across the table from him. They were in the kitchen at the Burrow and Harry was almost seventeen.

"I have a question for you," Harry said without preamble.

"Okay."

"It's a simple question, yes or no answer, and I don't want to hear _I don't think I should say_ or _That's not my place_ or any other answer that isn't an answer. Yes or no. Whichever is honest. Will you answer that way?"

Remus blinked. Agreeing to such stakes with Harry Potter was dangerous territory indeed. The boy often wanted to know things he shouldn't, and the way that was phrased made it sound as though he knew Remus wouldn't want to tell him whatever it was.

But as Remus looked into Harry's eyes, he could see that the question was about Sirius. He couldn't use stronger Legilimancy on Harry without raising the boy's suspicions-Harry was relaxed and had no reason to use his Occulmency (if he had ever learned it, and Remus wasn't so sure), and Remus didn't want to break that trust.

What the hell? Remus could answer a question about Sirius.

"Yes," he finally said.

Harry sat back in his chair and dropped his hands to his lap. "Was Sirius gay?"

Remus studied Harry's face. He didn't appear angry or fearful of the answer. He sounded tired, and sad, almost resigned. Remus pursed his lips. "Yes," he said again. "He was."

"Why didn't he tell me?" Harry asked, leaning forward again, his voice almost pleading. "I wouldn't've cared..."

Remus shrugged slowly, shaking his head. "He did not feel it was very relevant," he said softly. "He did not want to risk hurting your relationship with something that did not matter. You say you wouldn't have cared, but he could not be sure of that."

"Surely he didn't think I would-"

"It was not an insult to you, Harry. If anything, it was an insult to your aunt and uncle. Sirius knew how prejudiced they were, and that is how bigotry is passed on-through the environment. You could have learned from them to be homophobic, and it simply was not worth that risk."

Harry dropped his eyes. He scratched his ear, his other hand drumming on the table. "Was he ever going to tell me?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"When the war was over, or when he entered into a relationship to tell you about. Whichever came first."

"So he wasn't with anyone?"

Remus hid a smirk. "Harry, by the time you met him, he was either on the run or in hiding. He hardly had time to meet someone."

"Was he ever with someone?"

Remus bit his lip before nodding curtly. "He had a boyfriend at Hogwarts."

Harry didn't ask follow-up questions about that, for which Remus was grateful. "So you two just talked about whether or not I should know this?"

"We talked about a lot of things, Harry. We decided on what we agreed was best. I am sorry if it was the wrong choice."

Harry scowled. "I understand. I guess I'm just disappointed. It seems like something he should have told me, you know? Just another missed opportunity," he added in a murmur. The look on his face made Remus's heart ache.

Remus considered his options. As Harry continued to avoid his eyes, Remus decided. The choice was obvious, really-anything else would be cruel. Harry wanted to learn about his godfather, and he had to right to the information.

"Okay," Remus said with a sigh. "Let's go." He stood up and Harry looked at him, bemused. Remus motioned for him to stand up as well. "We need to talk."

Harry followed Remus out into the garden, towards the end of the Order's protections on the property. Remus conjured some chairs and they sat facing each other.

Harry waited patiently.

After a minute of trying to figure out where to start, Remus finally said, "You deserve to know everything you want to know about your parents, Harry, and I consider Sirius to be part of that. I am your last and best resource for this information, and I would hate for something to happen and you be left with questions I could have answered." He took a deep breath and smiled gently. "I am not gay. But I am not straight either. I love Tonks very much, but it would be a lie, and a ridiculous one, to say she is the only person I have ever loved."

Harry's eyes widened in understanding. "You and Sirius?"

Remus nodded. "We dated in Hogwarts. We broke up after graduation but before he went to Azkaban."

"Why?"

Remus considered that for a moment. "Things were different, then, after Hogwarts. The war was raging and we weren't-safe anymore. Everything was stressful and scary, and it was not so much fun to date at that point."

"That's a good enough to break up, if you're in love?"

"I thought you would understand. You broke up with Ginny."

"To protect her," Harry said quickly. "Not because I didn't-" He stopped and looked down.

"Yes. I was protecting Sirius, as well. The werewolves, see, were recruiting and of course they wanted me. That wasn't much of a problem, until they started threatening everyone I cared about. It wasn't just Sirius I distanced myself from. It was James, Lily, Peter, everyone in the Order. Then Sirius went to Azkaban and it was thirteen years before I learned what really happened."

"Did you get back together, then?" Harry asked before narrowing his eyes. "You said he didn't have a relationship to tell me about."

"He didn't. We did not get back together."

"But you were friends. Hell, you lived together."

Remus smiled. "Yes. But we were not the same people we were in school. Azkaban changed him, time changed me. Do not mistake me, Harry. He was my best friend and I loved him. But we were not a good match."

"Sooo," Harry said, drawing the word out. "You were-just friends?"

Remus raised an eyebrow. "We were very close."

"You're an attractive guy," Harry said bracingly and Remus barked a laugh. "Sirius was always good-looking. You lived together. You had a great relationship. You didn't date, I know, but did you ever-you know?"

Remus bit his lip to stop from saying _Like the dogs we were._


	2. Chapter 2

After Sirius went on the run, Remus tried to contact him every few weeks, to make sure he was safe and ask if he needed anything. Not that Remus had much to offer, but he felt it was the least he could do. Sirius always answered, but their letters were cold and cordial. It would be impossible for someone to read them and know the two had, at one point, been inseparable.

So when Sirius showed up on Remus's doorstep in dog form, scratching hard to be let in, Remus was understandably surprised. Once inside, Sirius transformed and explained what had happened in the Triwizard Tournament-the death of Cedric Diggory, one of Remus's favorite students; the return of Voldemort; Peter's horrific role in the whole thing.

"But Harry's okay?" Remus asked, repeatedly, and Sirius always answered, "Yes, yes, he's okay."

Sirius gave Remus Dumbledore's orders and Remus sent out a message to everyone he could think of. It took two hours, with Sirius pacing constantly and making Remus even more nervous.

Finally, too tired to keep going, Remus collapsed into a chair, his face in his hands. He breathed deeply, trying to relax, his head pounding.

"We need to do something," he muttered.

"What?" Sirius asked, still pacing.

Remus raised his voice. "We need to do something. You smell." He looked up. Sirius was staring at him, confused, but he had stopped pacing.

"What?" he asked again.

"We're going to sit here and think until we explode." Remus stood up and walked quickly to the bathroom. Sirius hesitatingly followed. Remus pulled his wand out of his sleeve and tapped the bathtub, which began to fill itself quickly. He pointed at it. "You need to bathe, Sirius. It will help you calm down and make it easier for me to be around you."

Sirius was filthy. His long hair was matted and gross, frizzy and sweaty. He was covered in what was probably mud from running across the Hogwarts' grounds. He grunted impatiently and without waiting for Remus to leave the room, he ripped his robes off over his head. They fell into a pile on the floor. His undershirt came off next, leaving him in boxers.

Remus touched his hair. "We might have to cut it," he muttered.

Sirius tried to run his hands through the hair, but they barely left his scalp before his fingers were stuck.

"Bloody hell," he muttered. "I don't want to cut it." He deflated before Remus's eyes. Everything had gone so wrong and Sirius didn't want to cut his hair.

"Fine," Remus said, resigned. Fixing his hair would be distracting, at any rate. "Get in."

Remus turned away before Sirius could strip completely, and went to get a comb-he tapped it with his wand until it grew big enough that it just might work. When he returned to the bathroom, Sirius was submerged and the water had become mud. He was lounging back, the entirety of his hair hanging over the side of the tub so it reached the floor. His eyes were closed.

Remus tapped the side of the tub with his wand and the water started refreshing itself, rolling and lapping at the sides like a Muggle hot-tub.

"Warm enough?" he asked.

Sirius nodded, not opening his eyes. "It's perfect."

Remus pulled a stool over so he could sit behind Sirius, and gathered Sirius's hair into his lap. It was three feet of tangled mess, and it would be so much easier to just hack it off, but Remus started at the tips, picking the comb through. He could probably figure out some knot-untying spell to get through it easier and faster, but once he started, he realized that this would be good for both of them. It could take an hour or more to finish—methodical and repetitive, mindless, keep his hands busy and focused...

Sirius's head moved a little to the side and Remus knew he had fallen asleep. That was the best thing for him, he was exhausted physically, mentally, emotionally. Remus wished he could do the same, but it would have to wait. Sirius's bloody hair needed to come first. It felt vital to their existence, like if the hair stayed tangled another night, things would never get better. They would never again be happy and clean, but always stressed and filthy and frizzy...

Remus wouldn't let himself think about anything but the hair and the fact that Sirius Black was in his house. It was unnerving, really. A year ago, the thought would have terrified him, left him on the defensive and tense.

Remus had cleared about four inches of hair by the time the water was running clear. His eyes kept being drawn to Sirius's body and finally, unable to stand it anymore, he added soap to the water so it grew cloudy again.

Not that Sirius's body was anything spectacular at the moment. He was too thin, his ribs stuck out and his legs looked skeletal. A far cry from what he had looked like thirteen years before, but then, Remus's body didn't look like a young man's anymore, either. Sirius had a deep lash across his shoulder that would need special cleaning and bandaging. Once he was in his right mind, Sirius would be able to heal it himself, but Remus certainly wasn't going to try—no need to accidentally cut off Sirius's arm with Remus's shoddy healing spells.

No, Sirius's body wouldn't have been especially appealing on aesthetics alone, but having him here (and naked) was making it impossible to forget all the nights they had spent together before Azkaban. They were different people now, but the memories flooded through Remus and he welcomed the distraction from the current tragedy. The clumsy hands, desperate and scared and clammy their first time. Sirius's hands and mouth and cock—

Remus shook his head, trying to clear his mind, but he was growing hard. His hands shook very slightly, and he had to control his breathing. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could happen before Sirius's hair was clean and properly combed, but Remus could barely stop himself from sliding his hand down Sirius's chest...

After an hour, Remus was just past the half-way mark and Sirius woke up.

"Good morning," Remus muttered.

"'Morning." Sirius pulled his hands out of the water to study them—they were wrinkly from being submerged. He dropped his head back to look at Remus upside down. "How's it going?"

"I should be done by this time next week."

Sirius smirked, and his face looked instantly younger—suddenly, there was the man Remus had fallen in love with, and his breath caught in his throat.

"I really appreciate this, Moony," he whispered.

Remus nodded and pushed Sirius's head so that he could keep working. Sirius scrubbed at his arms and legs, cleaning them of the last of the grime—whatever had managed to stay on this long—and hissed when he hit his shoulder.

"You have a bad cut there," Remus said unnecessarily.

"You don't say."

Remus handed him his own wand and Sirius muttered something under his breath, tapping his shoulder. Remus watched as the cut closed up neatly. It left a thin scar that Sirius had the ability to heal, but maybe not the motivation. He handed Remus his wand back and splashed his face with the soapy water.

He fell back to sleep without another word and Remus had to shift in his seat.

Remus eventually reached Sirius's scalp and had to pick for a few more minutes, to get the last few tangles. Finally, Remus nudged Sirius awake.

"I want you to be awake for this," he said. He put the comb on Sirius's forehead, at his hairline, and slowly ran it through the entire length of his hair. It didn't catch the whole way. Sirius moaned, which didn't help Remus's arousal that had remained present but muted. "It is still vile, but now it can be washed without being cut."

Sirius took a deep breath and ducked under the water. Remus piled his hair in on top of him and soaked it until he resurfaced a minute later. Remus grabbed shampoo and lathered him up, massaging it onto his scalp. Every few seconds, Sirius let out an involuntary breathy sound. The water was still too cloudy for Remus to see anything, but he wondered if Sirius also had an erection. He rinsed the hair, and used the shampoo three more times before he was satisfied.

Once it was clean, Remus combed through it one last time and dried it with a towel so it would stop dripping.

They sat in silence for a minute, neither knowing what to do or say, listening to the rolling water.

Then, unable to hold back any longer, Remus wrapped his arms around Sirius's neck. Sirius reacted instantly, taking hold of Remus's wrists. They hadn't embraced at all that night and it felt nice. Remus kissed Sirius's ear. Sirius's hands went up Remus's arms as Remus's arms went down Sirius's chest, to his stomach. Sirius's breath hitched.

They turned to look at each other in the same moment and their mouths collided together. Remus squeezed his eyes closed and lost himself in Sirius's lips. Sirius's hand was clenched around Remus's upper arm so tightly it would surely bruise, but when Remus tried to reach lower, under the water, Sirius stopped him. They broke apart, gasping.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked, eyes searching Sirius's face. Sirius looked right back at him, mouth open slightly, lips red.

"It's just," Sirius said, then swallowed and tried again. "It's just a bit much right now. It's—well, it's been a long time, Remus."

Remus knew he didn't just mean sex. In the last thirteen years, how much time had Sirius spent with another person, doing anything? It was understandably overwhelming.

"It's not that I don't—want to," Sirius continued. "Bloody hell, I want to."

Remus closed his hand into a fist and rested it on Sirius's chest. He wanted to touch Sirius, he wanted Sirius to touch him—but it could wait. He didn't want to make Sirius uncomfortable. That would make him a bad host.

Instead, Remus kissed Sirius's cheek and stood up. "I'll get you some clothes."

When he returned to the bathroom, Sirius was draining the tub. He had the towel wrapped around his waist. Remus handed him pajamas.

"They're a bit big but—"

Sirius nodded, avoiding Remus's eyes. "Thanks."

Though Remus wanted Sirius to sleep in his bed, he put a pillow and blanket out on the couch. They wished each other good night and Remus went to bed. He had expected to stay up for a long time, thinking, but he fell asleep surprisingly quickly.

He woke up not even an hour later. He listened carefully, trying to figure out what had awoken him, when he heard a stifled gasp come from the living room. He stood up silently, eyes heavy with sleep, and inched to the door. He could see Sirius from behind, sitting on the couch, hunched over. After a moment, Remus realized Sirius was crying, sobbing horribly but trying to not make a sound.

Remus's heart broke.

He moved until he was standing behind Sirius, and gently touched his back. Sirius jumped, startled, and Remus saw his tear stained face for just a second before Sirius buried it again in his hands. Remus sat next to him, put his arm around him.

"I'm sorry," Sirius whispered. "I didn't want to wake you."

"Don't worry about it."

Sirius leaned against him and Remus wrapped his arms around him, rubbing his back soothingly. He probably should have expected something like this, some emotional breakdown, but he hadn't. He had just left Sirius alone. He kissed Sirius's cheek and neck, and rocked slightly. Sirius's hair was still damp and it stuck to Remus's arm.

Remus prepared himself to stay like this all night, but Sirius pulled himself together and moved away.

"Would you like to talk?" Remus asked. Sirius shook his head. "Do you want to sleep in my room?" Sirius started to shake his head again, but Remus added, "You should not be alone, Sirius. That way, if you need anything, I will be right there."

Sirius considered it before agreeing and following Remus to the bedroom. They laid down facing the same way, so Remus's chest was against Sirius's back. Remus held him tightly.

He forced himself to stay awake until Sirius's breathing turned deep and slow. Then Remus drifted off as well.

Remus dreamed that Sirius rolled over and kissed him, pushed their erections together. In the dream, Remus slid easily inside Sirius, whose face was contorted in pleasure, and they thrust together effortlessly, without a thought of the years between them or the war or Azkaban; only connecting, loving, being there in the moment, together—

Remus woke up, his erection aching horribly, a thin sheen of sweat on his face. Sirius hadn't moved. The sun was shining in through the window and Remus had to squint against it. Slowly, not wanting to disturb Sirius, Remus got out of bed and went to the bathroom. He leaned back against the door and thought of the dream, thought of Sirius in the bathtub, thought of how Sirius would look with Remus's cock in his mouth, and he came into his hand quickly. He showered, put his pajamas back on, and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

He was just setting the table with toast and ham when Sirius stumbled into the room.

"Hello," Remus said. "Hungry?"

"Starving." They sat down and Sirius looked like he didn't want to even have his eyes open. Remus figured the smell of the cooking ham had stirred him. They ate in awkward silence. As Remus was clearing the table, Sirius said, "Look, Remus. I'm sorry about last night. That was embarrassing."

Remus glanced at him. He was leaning back in his chair, two of the chair's feet off the ground. Remus put their dishes in the sink and sat back down. He reached for Sirius's hand. "You have no reason to be em—"

Sirius jerked his hand away. "I do, though. I couldn't even get a bloody handjob from you before panicking. I couldn't make it an hour alone without crying like a child."

"A lot happened last night," Remus said calmly. "We were both stressed, what with Voldemort and Harry, and I tried to use you. I was selfish, Sirius, and I apologize."

Sirius's face softened. Hearing that Remus had been the inappropriate one seemed to make Sirius feel better about his reactions.

Remus massaged his own neck briefly, but Sirius's sharp eyes saw it for what it was. "Full moon tonight," Sirius said softly.

"Yes."

"Where do you go?"

"There is a wood on the coast. I know a few others use it, but I have never run into them during the night."

"Would you like some company?"

Remus blinked. "Bloody hell," he muttered. "It has been a long time since anyone went with me."

"I'll take that for a yes."

"Yes."

They both looked up at a knock on the door. Sirius jumped up and spun in a circle, looking for a place to hide.

"Closet," Remus hissed, "off the bedroom."

Sirius took off and Remus waited for the house to be silent before he opened the door.

A young witch with green hair that hung to her ears stood there. She smiled brightly at him. "Wotcher, Remus."

He nodded curtly. "Tonks."

She looked past him into the house, curiously. Normally, he would have invited her in, and the fact that he didn't made her suspicious. "Is this a bad time?"

"Er, yeah, a bit. Did you get my message last night?"

She nodded gravely. "I did. I've just seen Kingsley. He's going to Dumbledore today, learn what all we need to do. How are you holding up?"

Remus knew Tonks fancied him, though couldn't for the life of him figure out why. They had shagged once, the day after a full moon, when he was still in a lot of pain. She had come over to check on him and when she had kissed him, he hadn't the self control to turn her away. The next day, he apologized for leading her on and told her he was in no shape to have a relationship. She took it well enough and they had salvaged a friendship.

He still believed he was in no shape for a relationship, but if Sirius hadn't been in the next room, he would have kissed her now.

"I have been better," he admitted. "On top of it, full moon tonight so I am feeling ill."

"As usual." She grimaced sympathetically. "You do look pale. I'll leave you be, then. Rest up."

He nodded his thanks and she took a few steps back before Disapparating.

He closed the door and Sirius returned.

"Tonks?" he asked curiously.

"Your cousin."

"Andromeda?"

"Nymphadora. Andromeda's daughter."

Sirius smiled genuinely. "How do you know her?" he asked.

"She's an Auror."

"She's a baby."

"She's a baby Auror, just passed her test. She's friends with Kingsley Shacklebolt, he introduced us."

"What's she like?"

Remus remembered that Sirius had always liked Andromeda. He took a deep breath. "She is a Metamorphamagus. Very quick witted, sharp. Clumsy as all get out, though."

"What House was she in?"

"Hufflepuff."

"Good for her."

"She hates her name—"

"C'mon, who would _like_ being called Nymphadora?"

"The two of you will get along splendidly."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I posted a one-shot story about Remus/Tonks that applies here... So if you're interested in more of what happened between them, back when they shagged (and see how differently Remus responds to her and Sirius), you can see it here: s/9444042/1/After-the-Super-Moon . Thanks for reading.

* * *

Remus spent most of the day answering messages from Dumbledore, Kingsley, Arthur Weasley, Hestia Jones, and a few others. Only Dumbledore ever had anything new to say—the rest were simple reactions to Dumbledore's messages, that the others needed to say to someone, and they all seemed to pick Remus. Finally, around two o'clock it seemed either Tonks or Dumbledore had reminded the others of the day, because the messages abruptly stopped. Remus was grateful.

He took a nap while Sirius stretched out with a book. The change would start at nine o'clock, but Remus liked to get to the wood early, so they hooked arms and Disapparated at eight. He carried a backpack with clothes and water, and he set it on the ground by the same tree he always set it by. It was dark in the wood, but they didn't light their wands. Neither of them were afraid of the dark. At eight-thirty, Remus took off his robes, leaving his underpants.

He knelt on the ground, missing the Wolfsbane potion and how it kept him feeling fine up to the change itself. His entire body had been itchy all day, his joints burning, his bones aching, and it was getting worse. He ran his hands through his hair, resisting the urge to pull at it, which would only worry Sirius.

Sirius knelt next to him and put his arm around his shoulders. They had a certain comfortable way between them, considering their years apart and the fact they hadn't talked much since their reunion. Talking made things more awkward; Remus didn't know what to say to him a lot of the time; but physically, they were comfortable together. Remus melted into his touch. Sirius couldn't make the pain go away, but Remus had missed the precious human contact just before and after changing that only his friends at school had really provided. It did help. It made the pain seem less real, like it was a delusion or a trick. It made him feel more human.

When they were young and James and Peter couldn't be there, Sirius would give Remus a blowjob just before the change. The endorphins released would help him fight the pain and give him energy for changing. Remus knew Sirius was thinking about that, too, but, as comfortable as they were, Sirius wasn't ready for that yet.

Any kind of touch helped.

Sirius held Remus in his arms, sitting on the ground, waiting for the moon to appear.

With fifteen minutes left, Remus's breath grew labored. He let out a groan every few seconds and Sirius held him tighter. He had gone through this every month, for as long as he could remember. Hundreds of times. But that didn't help when the change was so close. His tolerance for the pain had not increased; in fact, it seemed to be getting worse with age.

Sirius kissed his cheek, his chin, then his lips, and Remus didn't care that it was selfish—he kissed back, hard, desperately. He clung to Sirius's robes, one hand in Sirius's long hair, holding them together.

If Sirius was uncomfortable, he didn't let it show. His hands pressed into Remus's bare back, massaging him, rubbing his neck. After a minute, Remus broke away, doubling over as sharp pain shot through his chest. Sirius pulled him back up.

Remus had an erection and as they raised on their knees to better embrace, he felt that Sirius did too. Sirius's hand wrapped itself around Remus's cock and stroked him and Remus moaned loudly, a combination of pain and pleasure he hadn't experienced in years. His fingers curled against Sirius's scalp, scratching him, drawing blood. His heart literally skipped a beat, shooting pain though his chest and arm, and it was too late for sex. He pushed away and fell onto his side.

Remus curled up as his body essentially died—all his organs stopped working, even his heart, even his skin, even his brain, as they warped into the proper shape for a wolf. His bones shattered. He was not able to scream. He was not able to think, to wonder if Sirius had transformed or gotten out of the way. He was pain incarnate and it felt like hours before the transformation was complete.

He should have been dead. That was the curse—not letting him die from the heart attack. As a wolf, he lay on the ground, shaking, panting, trying to recover.

Then he smelled it, the big dog he hadn't seen in years. He opened his eyes and saw Padfoot lying next to him, watching him sadly, but when their eyes met, Padfoot's tail started to wag. Moony pushed himself up and pounced.

* * *

Remus woke up on the hard ground, naked and hurting and bleeding. For a wild moment, he was startled by the arm draped across his stomach, but then he remembered his companion for the night. He ran his hand over his chest, where a cut hadn't quite scabbed over, but it didn't seem deep. It would heal quickly enough. He turned his head to look at Sirius, who was sleeping and also naked. They were under enough trees that it was still dark.

"Sirius," Remus whispered. "It's morning."

Sirius opened his eyes slowly and squinted at him. Then he moved closer, tightening his hold on Remus, until his head rested on Remus's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Sirius muttered.

"As well as I could expect," he replied.

Sirius raised himself onto his elbow and looked down at Remus. He brushed Remus's hair back off his forehead and trailed his fingers down his cheek, to his lips. He leaned down and kissed him softly.

Sirius tasted of dirt and blood—there was no telling what they had eaten during the night—and Remus pulled him on top of him so their legs tangled together. Remus knew Sirius was only doing this to make him feel better. He didn't care. He let Sirius stroke him, pump his flaccid cock as his erection slowly grew. Their tongues moved together languidly.

But they broke apart quickly when something crashed in the wood not far from them.

"Shit," a voice said and they both recognized it. They jumped up, aching bodies forgotten, and Sirius dashed behind a tree as Remus wordlessly Summoned his backpack. "Remus?" Tonks called. "Are you here?"

He just managed to pull out his robes and send the pack soaring off to Sirius before Tonks crashed through to him.

"Oh, sorry," she said and turned her head while he pulled his robes on over his head. "I went by your place and you weren't there. I wanted to check on—"

"Yes, thank you," he panted.

She looked back at him, eyes narrowed. "Are you alright?" She glanced around suspiciously.

"I'm fine," he said hurriedly, which only raised her suspicions more.

"You were acting weird yesterday, too—"

Remus didn't know if Dumbledore had told anyone about Sirius. It was dangerous to let an Auror know where he was, even when that Auror was Tonks, but it had to happen eventually.

Remus took a deep breath. "Nymphadora," he muttered and he moved closer until he touched her arm. "I need you to trust me."

She leaned back, understandably unnerved. "What are you on about?"

"I can explain everything, and Dumbledore will back me up. There is someone here with me, and he is wanted by the Ministry. But he is innocent, so you cannot hurt him."

Her face turned cold. "Who?" She didn't sound willing to trust him, but before Remus could say anything else, Sirius stepped out from behind him, fully dressed, hands in the air. Immediately Tonks's wand was pointed at him, but she didn't shoot.

"The bloody hell is Sirius Black doing here?" she spat and Sirius waved at her obnoxiously. Remus almost wanted her to shoot him for that.

"He's innocent, Nymphadora, and he's been staying with me."

She looked at him furiously. "And how do I know he's not got you with an Imperius curse?"

Without pausing to consider the consequences of his actions, Remus did the first thing he could think of—he kissed her. No one knew about the night they had spent together. To everyone else in the world they were merely good friends, so a kiss was like a password.

She pushed away from him, hard, angrily, but she did lower her wand. She was glaring at him, but she understood what he had done.

"I am sorry," he said quietly. "It was wrong to spring him on you like this, but I had not had the chance to tell you earlier."

She looked back at Sirius, face set, still skeptical. "So you didn't kill all those people?" she asked.

"I've never killed anyone," he said calmly, hands still raised. "And since you're still not sure of my worth, I'll tell you I'm an Animagus. In my animal form, I can stay with Remus when he transforms, and I've spent all night keeping him company. Since he's clearly important to you, that should mean something, eh?"

That did seem to get through to her. She seemed angrier at Remus than at Sirius as she stepped back.

"Ask Dumbledore," Remus implored. "He sent Sirius to stay with me."

"I'll go to him now," she said. "And if your story doesn't check out, you bet your arse I'll bring down the entire Ministry on both of you." She Disapparated.

"If our story doesn't check out, she's going to lose her job before she can do a damn thing about it," Sirius muttered.

Remus couldn't help it—he smirked. "She just walked away from Sirius Black. If you are who they say you are, she is the worst Auror in the world."

Sirius picked up Remus's pack and they hooked arms to Disapparate.

Back at the house, Remus showered first before taking a healing potion and lying on the couch. While Sirius was in the bathroom, there was a knock on the door.

Remus opened it and motioned for Tonks to enter.

"I'm sorry," she said as she stepped across the threshold.

"Your actions were more than reasonable," he said.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine, considering."

"Got any cuts?"

He smiled but shook his head. Sirius had already patched the one on his chest.

They both looked around as they heard the shower shut off.

"I'm going to go," Tonks muttered.

"Stay, talk to him," Remus said. "He is a good man—"

"Yeah, I'm sure he is, but it's too weird right now." She sighed. "I'll talk to you later, Remus. Let me know if you need anything." She kissed him briefly on the cheek and left.

He fell back onto the couch and closed his eyes. He must have dozed because the next thing he knew, Sirius was sitting on the couch, massaging Remus's feet in his lap. Remus sighed.

"You okay?" Sirius asked.

"Yes. Thank you."

Sirius's hands moved to Remus's ankles, then calves, squeezing and rubbing the aches away. Remus closed his eyes again. He felt Sirius's lips on his knee and he stiffened. Soon, Sirius parted Remus's legs and crawled up between them, resting his hips on top of Remus's. They looked into each other's eyes before Sirius kissed him.

Remus wrapped his legs around Sirius's waist. They kept getting interrupted, but this time Sirius was taking the lead, there was no full moon, and no Tonks dropping in on them. Sirius kissed down Remus's neck and his hand crept up Remus's thigh, under his robes. Remus didn't dare hurry him—Sirius was shaking slightly, his breathing heavy in Remus's ear.

Once Remus was erect, Sirius moved down his body and licked at his cock. Remus grunted and tangled his fingers in Sirius's hair. Sirius enveloped Remus in his mouth, his head bobbing as he took in a little more each time. Remus moved his robes so he could watch and the sight almost sent him over the edge—it had been a long time since Remus had gotten a blowjob and Sirius was so familiar, so tender, so beautiful—

Sirius pulled away long enough to stick his own finger in his mouth. Then he returned to his ministrations on Remus's cock, while his finger pushed itself inside Remus—

Remus bucked into Sirius's mouth and gasped, pulling at Sirius's hair and finally coming with his eyes tightly closed.

_"Fuck!"_

Sirius swallowed and pulled away, using his hand to stroke Remus until Remus finally reached down and stopped him. Remus pulled Sirius up to kiss him, fiercely. He reached to Sirius's crotch, but Sirius stopped him.

"I came," Sirius whispered against his lips. Remus moaned again.


End file.
